SALMON FISHING WITH THE FLY. 199 



A friend of mine (a Lee, co. Cork, fisherman) told me not 

 long ago that the fish were beginning to take the Jock Scott in 

 that river ; but the greatest revolution as regards local patterns 

 has been on the river Usk, in Monmouthshire. Formerly the 

 favourite fly used there was made of a dirty yellow body, blue 

 or red cock's hackle, and brown wing. Now, that fly is quite 

 out of date, and the favourite fly — I suppose it may be called 

 a fly — is the ' Usk grub.' Its body is made of tinsel chenille, 

 cock-y-bonddu hackle in joints, and it is certainly a killing fly. 

 Other flies of modern patterns are used, but this is the favourite. 

 This fly was first introduced in the Usk by Mr. G. M. Kelson. 



A gentleman considered to be the best fisherman on the 

 Usk, who has fished that river all his life, uses nothing but 

 bodies of flies without wings, made of various colours of seal's 

 fur and mohair, with hackles to match. He never puts on 

 wings, as he says there is no necessity for them, and yet he 

 catches as many fish as anyone else, and often scores when 

 others draw a blank. Two years ago I went with my friend 



Colonel R to fish the Shannon at Killaloe, in the month 



of April. The river was high at the time, and the gaudy Shan- 

 non flies were being used. We had just come from the Black- 

 water, and had no flies excepting those we had been fishing 

 with on that river. Our boatman had no Shannon flies to spare 

 us, so we were obliged to fish with the Blackwater flies, but 

 were told no Shannon salmon would look at them. The result 

 was — whether it was luck or not — the Blackwater flies beat the 

 Shannon flies, much to the astonishment of our boatman, who 

 accounted for it by saying that the fish were tired of seeing 

 gaudy Shannon flies and wanted a change. Almost every sal- 

 mon we caught, however, had sea lice upon him, and the fish 

 which were said to be tired of seeing the Shannon flies were in 

 all probability in the sea at the time. I often ask myself the 

 question whether it is the salmon or the angler that has changed 

 his fancy. I am inchned to think it is the latter. 



I think I have adduced sufficient evidence to prove that 

 the salmon is not so very particular as to the pattern of fly, and 



